Most Affordable Continuous Glucose Monitor

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Nowler

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Hi all,
I hope you are well!

I am looking for the most affordable CGM available in the UK.
I do not qualify for a NHS funded one, so I will need to buy this myself.

Basically, I would like to be able to monitor my glucose levels 24/7 via an app on my phone/watch.
Not interested in the finger prick versions - I must be able to monitor it 24/7.

I'd really appreciate some suggestions!
Including where is best to get it (if this is not against the rules)
 
Nowler said:
I am looking for the most affordable CGM available in the UK.
Click to expand...
Probably one of the four which used to be on the usual GP prescribing list. (I think one or two have dropped off, though I'm no longer sure whether it's one or two.) If you have diabetes, you can request one free Libre 2 sensor (which lasts 14 days).

Most likely you want either Libre 2 or Dexcom One, and they'll cost around £100 a month if you qualify for claiming VAT back (I forget the exact rules on who can do that for things used for medical reasons). For Libre 2, you might find some places willing to sell sensors a bit cheaper (£35 ex VAT). The most recent such place is Tesco Pharmacy, so if you live near one of those it's worth giving them a ring.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1689908090223607808
 
Bruce Stephens said:
Probably one of the four which used to be on the usual GP prescribing list. (I think one or two have dropped off, though I'm no longer sure whether it's one or two.) If you have diabetes, you can request one free Libre 2 sensor (which lasts 14 days).

Most likely you want either Libre 2 or Dexcom One, and they'll cost around £100 a month if you qualify for claiming VAT back (I forget the exact rules on who can do that for things used for medical reasons). For Libre 2, you might find some places willing to sell sensors a bit cheaper (£35 ex VAT). The most recent such place is Tesco Pharmacy, so if you live near one of those it's worth giving them a ring.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1689908090223607808
Click to expand...

Hi Bruce, thanks for the quick reply!

Yeah, I feared you were going to say that.
I had a quick look earlier and I found the Libre 2 on Amazon.
But £100+ for 2 patches is expensive!

Thanks for the Tesco Pharmacy suggestion!
I'll look further into that!
 
@Nowler why are you looking for a CGM?
I ask because, assuming you are not on medication such as insulin which can cause hypos, you may not need a CGM all the time.
Some people with type 2, use Libre for a couple of weeks to gather data to interpret about what affects their blood sugars - e.g. what food causes the biggest rise or what happens when you exercise. And then, use what you have learnt to adjust your lifestyle for a few weeks without the sensor. You can then fund a sensor for a couple more weeks to see how things have changed and maybe run a few more experiments.

You mention that you are not interested in finger prick versions. I understand this., However, finger pricks are more accurate than CGMs. All CGMs have limitations which can affect their accuracy. For this reason, most people supplement their CGM readings with the occasional finger prick to check accuracy especially around high and low numbers (CGMs are designed to be most accurate between about 4.0 and 8.0 mmol/l and can exaggerate anything outside this range).

If you do use a CGM, please make sure you are aware of the limitations. CGMs are fantastic pieces of equipment if you take these limitations into consideration. They are a frustrating waste of money if you don't. For example, if you think you are hypoing throughout the night because you are applying pressure to the sensor when you lie on your arm in your sleep causing "compression lows".
 
Nowler said:
But £100+ for 2 patches is expensive!
Click to expand...
I'm afraid that's what they sell for. I wouldn't buy from Amazon. Better to buy from the manufacturer, https://www.freestyle.abbott/uk-en/home.html
Nowler said:
Thanks for the Tesco Pharmacy suggestion!
Click to expand...
Worth trying, though it may be that they'll only offer the wholesale price to people with diabetes (and perhaps won't sell at all otherwise).

I think the others (GlucoRx AiDex and GlucoMen Day) might work out slightly cheaper, but not enough to really make much difference (and most people who've tried those didn't rate them highly).
 
helli said:
@Nowler why are you looking for a CGM?
I ask because, assuming you are not on medication such as insulin which can cause hypos, you may not need a CGM all the time.
Some people with type 2, use Libre for a couple of weeks to gather data to interpret about what affects their blood sugars - e.g. what food causes the biggest rise or what happens when you exercise. And then, use what you have learnt to adjust your lifestyle for a few weeks without the sensor. You can then fund a sensor for a couple more weeks to see how things have changed and maybe run a few more experiments.

You mention that you are not interested in finger prick versions. I understand this., However, finger pricks are more accurate than CGMs. All CGMs have limitations which can affect their accuracy. For this reason, most people supplement their CGM readings with the occasional finger prick to check accuracy especially around high and low numbers (CGMs are designed to be most accurate between about 4.0 and 8.0 mmol/l and can exaggerate anything outside this range).

If you do use a CGM, please make sure you are aware of the limitations. CGMs are fantastic pieces of equipment if you take these limitations into consideration. They are a frustrating waste of money if you don't. For example, if you think you are hypoing throughout the night because you are applying pressure to the sensor when you lie on your arm in your sleep causing "compression lows".
Click to expand...
Hi Helli,

It's for research/educational purposes.
Having continuous data 24/7 which show the glucose fluctuations of sleeping v waking, pre v post-meal, this food v that food, on a night out (alcohol), etc.. is what I was aiming for.

This is a personal interest (not professional), and I do not have diabetes.
Hence why I am paying for it myself.

Thank you for the info regarding CGM's v Blood Testing though.
Some of this I was aware of, but having continuous data which I can look at in graph form, for me, may be worth the trade-off in accuracy (provided it wasn't wildly inaccurate).
 
helli said:
I think the cheaper price also excludes VAT which will have to be paid by those without diabetes.
Click to expand...

Yes, I am pretty sure that’s right. The no VAT prices are permitted by a medical exemption form, so you‘d need to factor-in VAT on top @Nowler

If you do decide to give CGM a go (various types have ’starter packs’ which give you access for a few months to entice you in), do be careful not to be overly stressed out by variations you may see. Blood glucose, like blood pressure and many other body metrics naturally rises and falls in response to different factors, so fluctuations are perfectly natural and healthy. People with diabetes shouldn’t be aiming for ‘flat lines’, and neither should people with fully functioning pancreases :D

There are a few examples of non-diabetes CGM results discussed here:
 
Libre can be wildly inaccurate for the first day or two, so a lot of people who use it apply the sensor 24 hours or so before initialising it - that way it has time to settle down before you start using it and you don't waste any of your days using it.

I wouldn't use it without at least an occasional finger-prick though, even given that you're not diabetic and just interested - otherwise you'll never know if you have a faulty sensor. There's usually a bit of difference between the sensor and the finger prick, but faulty sensors can be quite a long way out.
 
I use dexcom G6 and garmin vivo active g3 watch. It's blooming marvelous. Dexcom do a watch face that u download and it live streams cgm data above the time. Hope that helps.
 
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